Try to minimise any drafts in the room and cook in a cool / warm environment.
Wash & half apricots
Put a big pot of water on to boil – half full
Mix together the flour, salt and eggs. Add milk till till the mixture is starting to come together, and kneed till it’s not sticky anymore.
Roll out with a rolling pin till it’s around 1cm thick. (Use flour on the rolling pin so it doesn’t stick to the dough).
Using a large diameter glass (approx. the diameter of a mug), cut circles in the dough.
Put 1/2 an apricot in a dough cut-out circle, and stretch the sides to meet over the top of the side of apricot.
Place approx 6 dumplings into the put, for 5 mins exactly. Stir occassionally with a wooden spoon to ensure they are turned over. Have a few spare clean tea-towels ready.
Once 5 mins is up, quickly take one of the dumplings out, and with a fork, pull apart a tiny bit of the end of the dumpling. If it looks like it’s still ‘stringy’ / looking like the dough hasn’t finished cooking, put it back and check again in approx. 15 – 30 seconds. It is very easy to overcook the dumplings – when they’re ready, pull them all out quickly (slotted spoon works well to drain the water at the same time).
Place the cooked dumplings on a plate, and place a tea-towel over them to minimise the heat lost, but retain the ability for the dumplings to ‘breath’.
Serve with melted butter, sweet biscuit crumbs, and cottage cheese.
